Progress has been made in recent years in reducing the labor involved in installing traction cleats into the outsoles of athletic shoes. For example, removable cleats employing the Q-LOK™ attachment structure, the TRI-LOK™ attachment structure, or the FASTTWIST™ attachment structure require less than a full turn to install the cleat into the mating receptacle. (Q-LOK™ is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,768,809, 6,151,805, 6,108,944, and 6,463,681, while Fast Twist™ is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,123,184, 5,524,367, 5,974,700 and 6,272,774, each of which patents is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.) Because each athletic shoe usually includes many cleats, these attachment structures represented a step forward from previous systems that required multiple turns per cleat. However, some partial-turn cleat systems can introduce some uncertainty as to whether the cleat has been turned sufficient degrees to firmly mate with the receptacle. A system and method for installing cleats into athletic footwear that offers the labor savings of partial-turn cleat attachment system with increased certainty of proper cleat installation is desirable.